The Long Walk There
by Morbidity
Summary: [ Davis x Kari ] Ever wonder what Kari and Davis really do when they walk together to school?
1. Chapter 1

[ D i s c l a i m e r ] I don't own Digimon.

[ A u t h o r 's N o t e ] Welcome. When I wrote this piece I meant to continue it but I'm just going to post it anyway and call it a one-shot. Maybe continued if I get enough positive feedback.

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Davis sat idly on a bench, yawning. He squinted as he slowly opened his eyes, displeased at the strong morning sun. He stretched and slid his hand over his face, splicing the irritating light into rays, diverting the sun from his tired eyes. Releasing all the breath from his body he slouched down into the hard wooden bench side and tilted his head to rest on his shoulder, letting his eyes slide shut from the accursed light. Every day for the last two years he got himself up a couple minutes earlier so he could walk to school with Kari. She hated walking to school by herself, which she had confided in him so he promised her that as long as she needed him too, he would walk with her. Over time, it became less of a chore for him and more of an enjoyment. She was nothing less than great company and he loved making her laugh. He was so exhausted, and without her usual pep to keep him on his toes he found himself drifting off to sleep. He was slightly aware of the tap-tapping of shoes skimming down the pavement. It was getting closer and louder somewhere in the back of his mind but he was too tired to pay it any attention.

Kari bounded down the steps; fighting to keep everything she was holding together. Pushing in a book here and barely catching a pencil there, she managed to push a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, mentally preparing an apology for Davis. As she neared the bottom of the stairwell, she knew Davis would be waiting there for her, "Davis, I'm so sorry," she started not bothering to look up, "It's just that-," she stopped in her tracks when she reached the bottom of the steps; somehow beyond the laws of physics managing to keep everything she was holding. The sight before her was too cute to disturb. Davis was curled up on a bench sleeping soundly, his mouth partly opened and his head rested against the back of the bench. His hair stuck out in all directions as usual and his belongings were strewn about on the ground at his feet.

He looked so peaceful asleep, and if you didn't know him you could hardly guess the pandemonium he was capable of at times. It was times like this that cemented the fact that no matter how insane Davis acted at times, she would always love the person he was. She became aware of the fact that she was staring and, although there was no one to see her doing so, a slight blush still spread over her cheeks. As she started over to him, she found that there were dark circles under his eyes. An evil smile crossed her face as she took a seat next to his sleeping figure on the bench. She knew she had to wake him, so why not have fun in the process? She drew back a second, bracing herself and then jumped on top of him, tickling and poking him "C'mon Davis it's time to wake UP!" His eyelids parted and she could see the soft brown of eyes as he distinctively held out his arms to stop her. That gesture alone was practically enough to free himself of her petite frame. They fought like this often and when he was awake enough to tell what was happening, he easily found her ticklish spot and subdued her without difficultly. By that time, they were both gasping and laughing, taunting the other to continue. The second he loosened his grip on her a bit, he felt her finger jab into his side. He grabbed her arms and held them down, pulling her back against his chest and leaning into her so she couldn't move.

"Davis!" she whined, knowing that until he decided to let her go, she would never move from that spot, "Come on, let me go!"

His hold on her was gentle and she could tell that it didn't take much effort from him to hold her securely in that position. She struggled against him but it was useless. He didn't move a bit despite all of her efforts. She knew he wouldn't, his hands were strong against her arms.

"Pleeeeeeeeease . . .?" she begged, knowing it would make no difference.

"No – you know why? Because as soon as I even attempt to slightly let you go, you're gonna turn and poke me and tickle me, so, no," he leaned his cheek against her head as he finished.

She pouted and straightened her back against his chest, "Now why would you think that . . .?"

He smiled against her hair, "Becaaaaaaause you always do."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she remarked, smiling at how he knew her so well.

"You wouldn't," he shot back playfully, poking her in the side for effect.

At his poke she inhaled sharply and arched her back completely, "Fine," she started, "We'll just have to sit here like this allllllll day."

"I guess so," he conceded.

She sighed and leaned back against him again, giving up, "Fine, you win, no one beats Davis."

He breathed deeply and tucked his head into her shoulder, "As right as you are shnookems, I fell for that one last time," he said softly against her neck.

"Damn," she replied simply, forming an idea, "Davis, we're a half hour late for school!" she said, feigning a gasp, even though it was very true.

Flustered, he released her quickly and tried unsuccessfully to grab all of his things at one time. While he was doing this, she quickly regained herself, collecting her stuff, and jabbed him hard right in the side. Hearing his threats of death following her actions, she started to laugh uncontrollably and ran ahead of him as far as she could. She heard his footsteps skimming the pavement as he caught up with her easily, she tried to sidestep his attack but he still managed to grab her from behind and tickle her mercilessly before she slipped away from him and poked him in the sides as many times as she could.

They continued in this fashion, back and forth, hardly noticing when they reached school. Laughing, they separated themselves as they entered the building. After signing in at the front desk, they somehow managed to start again, taking turns poking each other as they made their way to second period. They giggled and chased each other down the hallway, Kari running ahead of Davis, laughing obliviously. She skidded to a stop in front of their classroom, unsuccessfully stifling laughter and quite short of breath. The whole class turned to stare at the scene taking place. A second later, Davis half ran into her, putting a hand on her upper arm to steady himself. Kari blushed and lowered her head and Davis straightened himself and gave her a nudge through the doorway, handing the teacher both his and Kari's late passes.

"Thank you for joining us," the teacher droned in a nasal voice as Davis and Kari pushed their way through the classroom, trying to reach their seats. Kari took her usual seat next to TK as Davis plopped down in his place a few seats in front of her.

"Now that Miss Kamiya and Mr. Motomiya have decided to grace us with their presence, let's get back to geometry, shall we?" the teacher turned back to the blackboard and Kari pulled out her notebook and a pencil from her bag, giving, or trying to give her full attention to the lesson.

She was actually doing quite well with that until she felt TK nudge his shoulder slightly into hers. Her head shot up from her notebook where she was rapidly taking notes, trying to keep up with the pace, to a curious/worried looking Takeru.

"So, what was all that about?" he whispered. She turned forward to see if the teacher had heard, knowing that he hadn't. Mr. Hagayama was known to be a little hard of hearing, and they were sitting in the back of the room.

"What was what all about?" she asked, sort of knowing what he was referring too, but hoping she was mistaken.

"You know," he started, continuing when she didn't respond, "That whole thing with Davis - Kari, you were an hour late."

"So," she retorted half seriously, "I'm late sometimes."

"Even if you were late sometimes, never an hour! And with Davis, running down the hallways?" he looked at her through his messy bangs, pretending to scrawl something on his paper when the teacher looked over his way.

When Mr. Hagayama returned to the board she turned back to him, "So what?" she said, "We got a little lost," she added, a small smile forming on her face.

"On the way to the same school that you've walked to everyday for the past two years?" he asked back, wanting to know just what she was hiding.

"All right, so we took a little detour . . ." she trailed off, a little more dreamily than she had intended.

"An hour long detour?" he shot back.

"A very pleasant and much needed detour," she quipped, getting a little tired of his questions that were starting to feel a little more like accusations.

He could see she was getting a little upset and now that he thought about it, he didn't really blame her, "I'm sorry Kari – I was just so worried this morning when you didn't show up, as cheesy as this sounds, you're one of my best friends and I would never want anything to happen to you."

She smiled and took his hand, "I guess I should be thanking you instead of being mad. I can hardly think of another person who is as worried about me_ all the time_," she replied, rolling her eyes jokingly at the last part but meaning what she said.

He smiled and squeezed her hand before letting it go, "Please Kari, promise me you won't let yourself get carried away like that again when you're with Davis," he looked really sincere and she knew that he just didn't want her to get hurt, this meant a lot to him.

"I promise."

TK smiled again and looked back to the lesson. A fraction of a second after he did a little folded piece of paper landed in front of her on the desk. She bit her lip as she looked at it, knowing who it was from, but opened it anyway.

_Kari- _

_Since we had so much fun this morning . . . whadda ya say I walk you home today?_

_-Davis_

She looked over at TK who was still paying attention to the blackboard and then up to where Davis was leaned back in his chair, shooting spitballs at the kid next to him. Looking back at TK once more, an evil grin crossed her face as she scrawled down a quick yes before crumpling up the paper and throwing it back in Davis's direction.

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	2. Chapter 2

[ D i s c l a i m e r ] nope  
  
[ A u t h o r' s N o t e ] All right, so I decided to continue it. I'm going to try very hard to get out at least a chapter a month. So enjoy!

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Kari sighed and bit her lip. Tapping her pencil, she regarded the time for the seven hundred and thirty-eighth time. She had been waiting all day for school to just end and it was finally last period. Alas, last period was a double-edged sword. Sitting through six periods, well technically five because she was late, only to reach this seventh and last class, which would have been a breeze if it were any other class, Japaneese, History or Gym for example. But no, it had to be Chemistry. It just had to be fifty- three horrible, painstaking, torturous minutes of Chemistry.  
  
That thought earned herself another deep sigh as she propped her chin up on her elbow in an attempt to keep from dozing off. When that didn't help she picked up her bag, strangely vacant of her usual stock of schoolbooks, and dug through it, searching for something to keep her mind occupied. Her eyes touched over a small folded piece of paper, which she inwardly suspected she had been subconsciously looking for the whole time. Unable to stop a smile, she blushed, hoping it went unnoticed and read the note again. She wondered what she'd done more that day, look at the clock or read Davis's note. That thought amused her and at the same time it kind of scared her. As completely, totally and utterly reluctant she was to admit it, TK had been right this morning. She'd never acted like this ever in her life. Even from when she'd first met Davis, she had always scoffed at his carefree, reckless and irresponsible behavior. But now it seemed contagious. Whenever she was with him, she was a different person. She was a happy person. He gave her such a precious gift without even knowing it. He gave her the will to be her own person. He gave her the will to be herself.  
  
Snapping out of her daze, she noted happily that there was only five minutes left in class. Figuring she should at least attempt to figure out what had been discussed while she was daydreaming, she decided to actually listen to the teacher.  
  
"...And that's your homework," he droned, almost like a monochrome lullaby while pointing to things he'd scribbled on the board, "Do not forget students, your final is next week. This shouldn't be news to any of you, as I have been mentioning it every day for the last-" the bell interrupted him, "All right students, remember your homework and have a good afternoon!"  
  
Kari took out her notebook, where she usually scribbled her assignments. Nowhere was a Chemistry final written. Five or six other finals, however, were precisely penciled in. Groaning she stood and tossed a few books and things into her bag before slinging it over her shoulder. She'd done no studying so far and all of her final exams were the next week. She made a mental vow to devote all of her afternoons and weekends to studying as much as humanly possible.  
  
Her classmates stood noisily, end of school excitement spreading like a disease. Pandemonium quickly enveloped all of them as they emptied out of the classroom and continued their after school antics in the disorderly halls. With a contemplative smile she left the room as well, finding the end of school demeanor as completely infectious as she had previously assessed it to be. A feeling of happiness and freedom waved over her as she started out on the journey to reach her locker, sifting through the crowded and jumbled halls, joking with and calling out to friends that she met along the way.  
  
Finally she found her locker out of a line of perfectly identical ones and quickly opened it, tossing a few books in and pulling out others. She slammed the door shut only to gasp in surprise as she saw Davis standing there behind it. Her afternoon plans flooded back to her and the end of school feeling was melded together dangerously with giddy anticipation as she watched him gaze at her coolly from where he rested against the wall of lockers. Her promise to TK was long forgotten. Studying was long forgotten. All that was left was Davis, Davis and the moment, and she was going to make the best of it.  
  
He shot her a cocky grin and took her backpack, throwing it over his shoulder. His own arms were empty of books but she didn't notice. Together with the screaming teenagers, his aura surrounded her and she felt like she was drowning in it slowly. The old Kari was drowning, dying. It was like a tangible substance around her and she couldn't help but breathe it in. The last remnants of her old self futilely fought for air. Her gaze caught Davis's. She smiled. He smiled. Deep within her a new Kari was born and blossomed. His shining eyes pulled the new Kari from her body. The pressure was swelling and swelling and with one touch from him it burst and the old Kari was dead, drowned by the new Kari flooding through her limbs, warming her to her fingers that were now laced with his. She loved this feeling, this warm feeling. He set off, leading her down the halls, sometimes looking back and shooting her a quick smile. She was dizzy. She was alive. She lived and thrived off of the person she was allowed to be when he was around. He was addictive, so very addictive.  
  
Soon they reached the outside and stopped to lean against the building to catch their breath. It was obvious that he had a plan for their walk home and he was in no hurry so she stood next to him, trusting him completely and anticipating his next move. Dutifully, he let go of her hand and she resisted the urge to pout, wondering where it came from. He dug through his pockets and produced a red lollipop, which he offered to her like a four year old giving his mother a picture he colored all by himself. A blush spread over her cheeks and she could do nothing to stop the huge grin that attacked her features.  
  
"So," she said deviously, after waging a small war with the lollipop wrapper and popping it in her mouth, "what have you got planned Davis?"  
  
He held his heart like she'd shot him and gave her a pitiful look, "Shnookems! I've planned nothing except escorting you home from school in a safe and time effective manner and then proceeding to my own place of residence so that you and I may give our homework our full attention like the good, studious children that we are."  
  
She shot him a skeptical look and resisted the urge to break out in a giggling fit at his sarcastic answer, "Whatever," she started, rolling her eyes, "I never thought you'd lie to your shnookems like that."  
  
He shrugged his shoulders like he didn't care but he was unable to stop a brilliant smile from lighting up his face. Unfamiliar feelings welled up in her. Butterflies beat frantically at her insides. She swallowed hard. She was doomed.  
  
Getting down on his knees, he took one of her hands in both of his and put on his best pitiable look, "I'm sorry baby, it will never happen again. Ever. Forgive me?"  
  
She couldn't help it; she broke out in laughter, giggling wildly until she was doubled over, holding her stomach with her free hand. When was the last time she had this much fun? Oh yea, this morning.  
  
A pleased smile graced his features. He loved making her happy. She was always so uptight, so worried. Getting up off the ground and dusting off his knees quickly, he put an arm around her waist and led her away from school grounds, feigning an uneasy look, "C'mon hunny," he whispered close to her ear like she was a child, "Let's not go making a scene like last time."  
  
She ceased her laughter but the ruddy glow remained on her cheeks. His breath caught in his throat, she looked like an angel. She locked her gaze with his and shot him a smile, placing a hand over his where he was holding her waist, "Sorry," she apologized, a twinkle of mischief evident in her eyes.  
  
He didn't hear her words but forced back a smile, suddenly very concerned about whether or not he was still alive or if he had died and gone to heaven.  
  
A little ways down the street he skillfully won back his hand much to her unspoken dismay. The silence that had enveloped them was a comfortable and pleasant one but she decided to break it with conversation anyway, "So. Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"  
  
"Well," he said, holding his chin like he was thinking, "It's actually very top secret government business, you know, really hush-hush," he shot her a knowing look, "And I really can't say anything, I could lose my job. Think of my kids, Kari, they could go hungry."  
  
She gave him a skeptical look and rested her hands on her hips, stopping in her tracks. He puts his hands up in mock surrender. Words were not necessary.  
  
"Ok, ok," he started, "You see that man over there?" he asked, pointing vaguely to a short, trench coat clad, bald man wearing sunglasses in a telephone booth. She crossed her arms and nodded, skeptical look still present and intact. He swallowed hard and offered her a sheepish smile, "Well, he's one of our best operatives. Agent Lieblingstein. Imported from Malaysia. He's the prime minister's son," Davis gave the man a weak wave before continuing them on their way, "At any rate, as I said before, this is very under wraps government stuff-."

He stopped suddenly and pushed the two of them behind a huge tree. Eyeing a jogger warily, he turned to her feigning deep concern, "This isn't good. Looks like they've brought in the big guns."  
  
"They who?" she asked with a laugh, arms crossed over her chest once again.  
  
"The ASGCA of course!" he exclaimed, looking at her like she was crazy for not knowing.  
  
She cocked an eyebrow, "Right... right... and who are they again?"  
  
He offered her a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head, "The... Anglo-Saxon... Golfing Cows Association?" he said weakly.  
  
She couldn't stop a giggle, "Ok Davis, whatever you say."  
  
He smiled; she was finally playing along, "This is where it gets serious," he said with a sigh, falling back into his feigned solemnity, "We need to rendezvous with Agent Lieblingstein at Pixie's Ice Cream Parlor at exactly 4:13 PM. At that point we are to order ice cream. I am to have a triple chocolate sundae deluxe. As for you, your order was not specified," he shot her a half smile, "Then we sit down in the nicest booth in the whole shop, preferably near a window. After that we will communicate with Agent Lieblingstein alternating between sign language and Morse code," he took her by the shoulders, "Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded and donned a look of fierce determination. Smiling, he took her hand and started leading her to the ice cream shop, checking his watch once or twice, "Now," he started, "It's very important that no one discover our identities. Therefore, throughout the whole meal I will refer to you as Shnookems. You are to address me as Sugar Lips and feed me a spoon full of ice cream approximately every 5.19 minutes."  
  
She said nothing... just laughed, and laughed, and laughed.  
  
They reached the door of the shop and he entered cautiously, pulling her behind him. Reaching the predestined table, he produced two pairs of sunglasses from his pocket, giving her a pair and quickly donning the other one. She put them on dutifully but not before a giggle and a quick shake of the head.  
  
They ordered and ice cream was delivered. Conversation was scarce but when present, codenames were indeed utilized. Everyone once in a while someone would walk by and Davis would shoot them a dirty look. She sighed with a smile and stirred her ice cream languidly. There was one thing she couldn't and didn't want to deny and that was she was having fun.  
  
He studied her as she happily ate her ice cream, a look of deep content set on her features as she surveyed the outside world through the window. His crush on her was long faded but as he looked at her he was reminded again why said crush had been so hard to get rid of. She was beautiful and he supposed she always would be to him, even when she was old and wrinkled. It wasn't ironic at all that she was a child of light, partnered with an angel. Wherever she was and whatever mood she was in she always seemed to glow. She lit up rooms upon stepping into them. Her smile could cure any disease. When she was around he was always happy, and even if somehow he wasn't she would see to it. 'Yep', he said to himself, 'TK sure is a lucky man'. Something deep in him became wholly disparaged at that thought and he fixed his blank gaze on his ice cream while trying to push the feeling down. As long as he could be near her, it didn't matter who had her. He would always cherish her in his heart but it wasn't meant to be and he had accepted that long ago. Even if she was by some miracle interested in him he could never bring himself to go through with it. He wasn't good enough for her. He was a goof-off and reckless and if he was lucky his future would be a noodle cart. She deserved someone better, someone like TK. TK was a good guy, he deserved her. And Davis was ok with that because it was destiny.  
  
"Davis?" her voice shattered his train of thought and brought him back to reality. He didn't answer her.  
  
"Davis...?" she asked again. He cleared his throat and she shook her head while trying to hide a smile, "Sugar Lips?"  
  
His head shot up and was adorned with a bright smile, "Yes Shnookems?"  
  
She couldn't help but smile back as she took another bite of her ice cream, "Why does Agent Lieblingstein have a German name if he's from Malaysia?"  
  
Wiping the chocolate off of his mouth, he eyed her warily, "Duh, Kari. It's an alias. I'm obviously not going to use his real name in public. The ASGCA could be listening. In fact, they're probably taping this whole conversation!"  
  
Davis looked at his watch and silenced her before she could continue, not that he could ever grow tired of their back-and-forth witty reparté, "Oh no," he deadpanned.  
  
"What is it?" she asked in mock concern.  
  
"It's already been at least a half hour since we were supposed to meet with Lieblingstein. Something's gone horrible wrong," he said quietly, eyebrows furrowed in feigned confusion.  
  
She leaned back in her seat and pushed her ice cream aside, finished with it, "Should we go look for him? See if he's ok?"  
  
"Good idea Kari," he said throwing down some money and taking her hand, leading her out of the shop, "You're starting to get the hang of this," he said with a smile.  
  
She blushed and followed him, lacing her fingers with his. He tried to hide his surprise. Before long they reached the park, stopping to rest near a fountain. They stood solemnly and watched the water sparkle in the sunlight as it streamed through the air. Davis dug through his pockets and produced two pennies. He handed one to Kari before mumbling something and throwing his in. She clenched the penny tightly in her fist and brought it to her chest. Her brows furrowed. She didn't know what to wish for. Looking up at Davis she noticed with a frown that his features were riddled with badly hidden dismay. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and leaned her head on his shoulder, hoping it would comfort him.  
  
"Davis?" she asked, codenames aside, solemnity and concern evident in her voice.  
  
"Yea?" he answered, voice conveying a hint of sadness.  
  
"Nothing," she said. Quietly she closed her eyes and made her wish before tossing the penny into the fountain. It was late. The sun was going down. The water reflected the brilliant reds, oranges and pinks that painted the sky above them.  
  
"Davis?" she asked again.  
  
"Yea?" he answered same as before.  
  
"What did you wish for?"  
  
He looked down into her eyes that shone with concern and worry. He smiled because she was beautiful. Being with her made him the happiest and the saddest he'd ever been all at the same time, "I wished that someday we'd both be happy."  
  
She offered him a sad smile and leaned into him once more, "Me too Davis. Me too."

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To Be Continued . . .


	3. Chapter 3

**[ D i s c l a i m e r ]** nope

**[ A u t h o r' s N o t e ]** Sorry it's late. This chapter is more plot than fluff, but please stick with it, next chapter is when it starts getting interesting. I love how I got to play with Mrs. Kamiya's character. I've always thought she was like _the_ coolest mom ever.

Thanks to _Anthony1_, ..., _Silent Bob 546_, _Sapphire Dragons_, _warprince2000_, _redrose_, _Growing Pain_, _surgedragon99_, _SacredGoggles_, _Digimon Fan_, _Serenity Blossom_, _Prodigious Girl_, _Zyu_, and _effect20_ for being the best reviewers ever.

Special thanks, hugs, cookies and proposals of marriage to _wolfbane_, _ss3dj_, _Toxic Picnic_ and everyone else who put me on their favorites lists!

* * *

It was long past dark when they reached her apartment building. Davis had walked her there despite the fact that punishment would almost certainly follow his late arrival at home. To be honest though, that didn't really matter to him and she certainly didn't need to know about it. He was well aware that if she had known she would have never allowed him to escort her, insisting that he leave and spare his neck, not wanting him to get in all sorts of trouble for her sake. Being with her, however, at least to him, was well worth every second of being walled in his room for a week or perhaps cleaning toilets if he happened upon one of his mother's better moods. 

He pushed the thought from his mind and, tired of the melancholy air that had been hanging around them since they'd left the fountain, he gave her a hard poke in the side for old time's sake. Instinctively jumping back, she eyed him warily as he shoved his hands in his pockets and whistled innocently. An evil grin spread on her features and she pounced, tickling unrepentedly. He laughed and managed to break away, speeding off down the street. With a giggle, she followed him as they wound intricate patterns around streetlamps that lit as they passed. They laughed and taunted and teased and finally he subdued her, arms pinned at her sides, wondering at the slight irony of them being in the exact same position that very morning.

"All right," he said sternly and evenly, although he was quite short of breath, "I think it's about time we started acting like adults."

She smiled up at him and happiness sparkled deep in her eyes, "You're one to talk," she joked, attempting to cross her arms over her chest but finding it impossible in his grip.

He smiled back, it was hard not to, "I don't suppose there is any way to convince such a mischievous little girl like you to behave?"

"Not at all," she replied barely holding back a laugh, "It's obvious that the only reason I'm not incarcerated right now is because you're around to keep me in line," she teased, managing to poke him square in the chest.

"Well I'm sorry for spoiling your fun," he shot back, feigning hurt and annoyance even though the toothy grin on his face widened with every word.

"You're a regular party pooper," she replied, turning her nose up and stepping away upon wriggling out of his grasp.

He pouted and lowered his eyes to the ground like a rebuked puppy, "I take offense to that," he said, digging the toe of his shoe into the sidewalk.

She laughed and took his hand, allowing him to lead her up to her apartment. Along the way they fell deep into a comfortable silence that seemed almost tangible around them, wrapping them up in their own little world of each other and no one else or at least no one else of any consequence.

All to soon for her liking and secretly for his, they reached her doorstep. With a smile and a nod, he turned to leave. Grabbing his wrist, she stopped him, daring to break the silence between them. The silence that they maintained meticulously, knowing that its absence would most certainly lead to admittance of feelings that were preferred - and even more than that - destined to be kept hidden.

Having his attention, she released her pleading hold on his wrist, soft fingertips trailing languidly down his arm, heat searing through him at the touch. He tried in vain to steady his breathing, but could not stop a blush, hoping it was too dark to notice.

"Davis," she said quietly, lowering her eyes to the ground, "Thank you."

Shoving his hands in his pockets he forced a sheepish smile, "For what?" he asked.

Before he could blink she had thrown her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. His mind short-circuited and suddenly rational thought was far past impossible, rocketed deep into the stratosphere along with coherent speech and the ability to form words. However, slowly but surely, he managed to return the embrace, petting her hair soothingly, figuring he shouldn't question miracles. And by God, if it was just a dream, it sure was a nice one so why not enjoy it?

After eternity she pulled away, looking up at him with wide eyes that glittered in the pale moonlight. And then she smiled; a true and genuine smile and he could no longer breath.

"I had fun today," she said after a while before retreating behind the doorway into her small but homely apartment.

He stood for a while, a long while, as his brain came off of overload and started to process what had just happened. It was all a blur after 'For what?'. Figuring it wasn't a wise idea to loiter on her doorstep, he turned and ambled off, burying his hands deep in his pockets. His thoughts cleared and collected, slowly registering and leaving him stuck between staying completely silent (as any noise would wake him from this quite pleasant dream) and shouting out loud in a sort of thanks to whatever god blessed him with such good fortune.

Before he knew it he was home although he was fairly sure he never remembered just when he had started to walk. Hadn't he been floating?

The sight of the door brought back a flood of realization that had been hiding meekly behind the overwhelming knowledge of recent events. A thousand scenarios played over in his head. 'You're home late again!?' his mother would scream. Reeling and desperate he'd look to his lounging father who would just snort and hide behind his newspaper. Visions of dirty toilets and yellowed toilet brushes danced in his head. He sighed deeply and stared down at his feet, suddenly tired and weary. Shadows danced on the welcome mat and he imagined himself falling from the clouds, up where Kari always managed to put him, and careening down into the chasms of reality.

Taking a deep breath and puffing up his chest, he gathered up his scant courage (wasn't bravery his strong point?) and reached for the doorknob. But from the inside, someone reached it first. The door flew open in front of him and he stumbled through the threshold, stopping himself from face-planting only at the last second.

He whirled and panted, a bit terrified. A giggling Jun stood against the now closed door. Mischief shone in her eyes, a smug and satisfied smirk dangling from her lips.

She took a step forward and snickered, "Davis, my dear brother!" she said in mock concern, "What in the world were you doing out so late?"

With a scowl he turned and made for his room, extremely not amused but relieved at his parent's absence.

Jun skipped down the hallway, following him, and plopped down unceremoniously on his bed, ignoring that he refused to acknowledge her, "You're lucky mom and dad aren't home," she chimed, pasting on a sickly sweet smile, "Although I'm sure our porcelain little friend will miss you. Hmm. Maybe we shouldn't disappoint him."

That caught his attention and he turned to face her, eyeing her warily, "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, his words laced with suspicion.

Plucking a teddy bear from his bookcase, she hugged it to her and gave a shrug. The picture of innocence, "I'm just saying...! Wouldn't it be awful if our dear, loving mother found out somehow?"

He stomped forward through piles of clothes, tired, irritable and seething, "Jun. What do you want?" he spat.

She smiled and let out a giggle, "So did you have fun tonight Davis? What ever were you doing so late?"

Clenching his fists, he turned and busied himself with tidying up his room, wanting to focus on something – anything – but this ridiculous conversation. It was quite obvious she wanted something from him and was just going to blackmail him to get it, so why did she have to play around with him instead of just coming out and saying it? He ran a hand through his hair and didn't answer her.

She sprang up and was next to him in a second, sugarcoated exterior not wavering for even a moment, "Could it be?" she asked, feigning shock, "Was our little Davis out with... with a girl?"

"No!" he shot back, annoyed, "I went out with Ken and TK for pizza and played some soccer afterwards, if you really must know."

Satisfied with his answer, she eased back, crossing her arms over her chest. On her face sat the most evil and malicious grin he had ever seen in his entire life, "That's funny," she said, "Because Ken looked an awful lot like Kari when I walked by Pixie's this afternoon."

He reared and shock was written all over his face. She continued before he could get a word out edgewise, "And the oddest thing happened to me this morning. You see, me, being the loving and wonderful sister that I am, brought my little brother the lunch he had forgotten all the way to his school. You'll never guess what they told me when I got there!" she stopped for effect and the smirk was there again, replacing the long forgotten innocent act.

Fighting off the urge to just ignore her and fall asleep right there, he sighed and slumped his shoulders in defeat, "I get the point Jun. Now what do you want?"

Sitting on his desk, she bit her lip, pretending to muse over what she would select from the cornucopia of equally as delightful options, "Today," she said finally, "Is Tuesday. Thursday after school I'm going out with a couple friends and I'm not going to be back until late. I need you stay home that day and cover for me. Tell mom and dad I'm sick in my room or something – I don't know – be creative."

To be honest, he was a tad surprised that was the extent of her request seeing as she had quite an exceptional amount of dirt on him. He frowned at her anyway, as if she had just ruined his entire life and mumbled a quick "I'll do it" under his breath before finally letting himself collapse onto his bed.

She stood and clapped and giggled and did a little happy dance of self-congratulation, which he found most irritating, but was to tired to do anything about. Planting her hands on her hips she strolled over to where he was lying and attempting to get some rest.

"Davis," she demanded, assessing his comatose state with a wary eye, "Davis!" she shook him hard and he groaned, drifting on the edges of consciousness.

"This is important!" she said sternly, eyebrows furrowed in frustration, "I know how you are Davis, you better not forget!"

He grunted in response and she was very unconvinced, "Thursday!" she yelled, "As is two days from today, which happens to be Tuesday! Not tomorrow, because tomorrow is Wednesday! The day after Wednesday, which is Thursday, that is when I'm going out with my friends! And I need you to-."

"All right I get it!" he cut her off, turning sharply to glare at her through narrowed eyes although his vision at the moment was bleary at best.

She smirked and went to leave, stopping at the last second by the door, "Just don't forget, Davis," she warned before strolling away, leaving him to sleep.

* * *

Kari sighed and shut the door behind her, taking care to be as quiet as humanly possible. Stopping to lean against the couch, she stood and mused about recent events, not exactly ready to stop drowning in denial and face reality just yet. She'd just spent a lovely afternoon and evening with Davis, of all people, and she was fairly sure she'd launched herself at him in a rib-crunching hug at one point. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire and she knew she was blushing. She pressed a hand to her face and relished at the feeling of cool fingertips against her burning skin. What was this... feeling? 

"Oh! Kari, you're finally home!" her mother said, bursting into the living room from the kitchen. In her arms were a large bowl and a spoon and she was donning an overly frilly apron that was thoroughly covered in different bits of food, flour spotting her cheeks.

Kari started at her mother's unceremonious intrusion into her world of thought and bolted upright, pasting on a fake smile, "Yes mama, I'm sorry I was out so late," she quickly apologized, silently thanking God that her mother was a benevolent creature whose punishments were few and far between.

Her mother flashed her a brilliant grin and turned back to the kitchen. A moment of realization washed over her, however, halting her progress and she whirled back to face Kari, idly giving the mixing spoon another harsh flick of the wrist as her brows furrowed in deep thought.

"Kari," she said, "Your friend TK has been calling all afternoon. He was worried sick when you didn't meet him and the others to walk home like usual," she paused and stopped her whisking for effect, fixing her daughter with a sly glance, "That boy's a keeper. And cute to boot," she said with a wink.

Leaving her thoroughly mortified daughter, Mrs. Kamiya turned, and decided at last to return to the kitchen, "Call him back," she called over her shoulder when Kari made no move to do so, "And do us all a favor and marry him already."

The blush was back full force and with a vengeance. Hoping to ignore it, Kari turned and planted herself on the sofa with a sigh, more than thoroughly exhausted. Lying down, she curled into herself and yawned, opening her eyes to find herself face to face with the cordless phone someone had abandoned on the coffee table. Reluctant, but deciding it was some sort of sign, she hoisted herself up and grabbed the phone, dialing in the numbers from memory, hardly feeling her fingers hit the buttons. In her ear, she counted the rings and fought off another yawn.

"Hello?" she heard across the line. A fairly masculine voice, she knew immediately it was TK. She grimaced, thinking of how acquainted her mother probably was with that very voice by now.

"Hi," she blurted out, almost forgetting to respond as her fatigue weaved around her consciousness greedily, pleading with her to drop off into the beautiful, peaceful land of sleep.

"Kari!" said a surprised TK, "Did you just get home?"

"No," she fibbed, wiggling to get comfortable in the couch cushions, "My mom forgot to tell me you called until just now. Don't worry though, I gave her a piece of my mind," she added, wagging a fist at an imaginary target and also really, really happy that he couldn't see her right then.

"Where were you all afternoon?" he asked, skipping directly to the million-dollar question. Kari outwardly cringed and spun a lock of hair on her finger, wishing she were a smooth of a liar as Davis as the beginnings of a sweat formed on her forehead.

"Um..." she began eloquently, giving herself a mental slap. Frantically her eyes searched the room, looking for any possible excuse. Her brother Tai chose that moment to stroll in from the hall, rubbing an eye lazily and fixing her with a curious glance.

"I was at Tai's soccer game!" she said, almost too loudly, excited with the ingenious of her supposed alibi and the adrenaline rush that came with deceit

Across the line, TK was silent, and Kari breathed an inward sigh of relief. Tai scratched his head and furrowed his brows in confusion, coming to sit next to her on the couch, "Uh Kari?" he asked, "What soccer game?"

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, knowing TK heard that and she gave Tai a quick slap on the arm, "You know..." she said, holding the phone a little bit away from her face but close enough so that TK could still hear it, "The one... today..."

There was murder in her eyes and he knew he was going to be subject to her wrath if he didn't answer this correctly, "Um... right!" he said nervously, "Yea, the one today, how could I forget..."

Kari nodded and sank down into the couch, relief washing through her limbs and making her feel like dead weight on the couch, "Sorry about that," she apologized, "You know how Tai gets some times."

"Yea I do," TK agreed passively, "Anyway, have you seen Davis? I'm kinda worried because he didn't show up either."

"No!" she shot back far to quickly. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, trying to release her death grip on the phone, "I mean no, I haven't talked to him since this morning, but it's late I bet he's asleep already," she smiled fondly at the memories of them running around like maniacs and thanked God for the millionth time that TK couldn't see her.

"Oh..." TK said, and somehow she felt like he didn't believe her, "Well anyway, have you studied for finals yet?"

She blanched and fixed her glance on her feet, seeing if she could wiggle each one of her toes independently of the others, "Yea," she lied, "A little."

There was a bustle in the background and muted voices that Kari had to strain to hear. The receiver rattled a bit and he was back, "Sorry, that was my mom," he apologized, "She just got home from work. Anyway, I wanted to ask you about Thursday."

She cringed and searched her mind for any possible thing that could be happening on Thursday. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and she felt like each second of silence was a fifty pound weight dropped on her chest, "Thursday..." she said with a nervous giggle, "Uh... fish stick day?"

"Close," he replied, but sounded very unamused, "You and I were supposed to get together at your house and study for finals. You really didn't remember?"

"It's been a long day," she said with a sigh, rubbing her eyes furiously and ignoring Tai's confused glances.

"Ah," pause, "Well you sound tired, so I'm going to leave you alone. Just... Kari?" he asked.

"Yea?" she answered.

"Please don't forget about Thursday," he said, sounding slightly dejected.

"I won't," she practically whispered, offering him a sad smile that he couldn't see and feeling absolutely horrible for making him worry about her, "I promise."

"All right," he said quietly, equally as immersed into the melancholy air that had blanketed them at some point during the conversation, "See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

She hung up and resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room and fall asleep before it even hit the ground. Slowly, surely she laid the phone down on its original place on the coffee table and sat back into the warm, welcoming couch cushions feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Next to her Tai's brows furrowed deeper in confusion as he assessed her tired and disheveled appearance with a wary eye, "Kari?" he asked, "What soccer game?"

She groaned and buried her head in her hands, trying to fight off the most horrible feeling of foreboding.

* * *

To Be Continued . . . 


	4. Chapter 4

**( D i s c l a i m e r ) **nope

**( Au t h o r' s N o t e ) **Sorry it's been so long. Just want to say a big "thank you!" to my reviewers, especially _Kirate. _Your reviews are so inspiring. Also, I think this story officially has a theme song. I've been listening to it as I write. It's called "One Life" and it's from the FLCL soundtrack. The lyrics kind of sound like Davis's situation. Anyway, you can download it here, if you have Win-Zip:

anime . therisenrealm . com / ost-flcl .html #FLCL

And I kind of don't like this chapter. Everything I write for this story is entirely influenced by what I read. TK sounds like Gatsby, and Kari sounds like Kagome from Resmiranda's _Fugue_.

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* * *

Sunlight bit at her eyelids, speaking to them in an unspoken language, tempting them to open. She groaned and turned away from the sun, wondering idly at the strange papery texture of her pillow. Rational thought was not an option this early in the morning, as she was rapidly discovering. Yawning, she gave into the complete dissolution of her resolve and signed her soul over once again to the lovely world of unconsciousness. 

She was just about to drift off when something bit into her leg. Shooting upright immediately, she glared down at the perpetrator through bleary eyes. Stifling a growl she attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes and found her cat staring up at her with wide unblinking eyes. At her feet was her food dish, empty except for a few stray crumbs. Kari shoved some strands of hair back from her eyes, which did nothing to help her disheveled sleep-worn appearance. The cat was so hungry; it was going to risk its life by waking her? She supposed that was a feat worth a can of cat food.

Pulling herself albeit reluctantly from her chair, she glanced down in dismay at the Chemistry notes she'd fallen asleep on. She hadn't gotten any studying done after all. Sighing, she realized she'd been wearing the same thing for way too long, stripped off the stale clothes and threw on something else. Collecting her school things and tossing them carelessly into her backpack, she allowed herself a moment – ok several moments – of inner angst about how little preparing she had done for finals. She had to find out what was preventing her from studying and soon, before she wound up mopping the floors at a fast food restaurant while all of her friends became lawyers and doctors and marine biologists. Finals were next week and she had done nothing to get ready for them as of yet.

As much as she hated, loathed, detested, abhorred, despised admitting it, her lack of studying probably had a great deal to do with Davis. In all honestly, her lack of studying probably was entirely because of Davis. But somehow she really couldn't help it. The distraction was so completely welcome – such a lovely little detour on her walk through life. Whenever she was with Davis she felt like a bird being let out of its cage, and she would do anything to hold on to that feeling. She lived for that feeling. But, she lamented with a heavy heart, a cute boy with an adorable smile and the ability to give her insides that… feeling was no good reason to fail sophomore year. She'd just have to spend a little less time with Davis, as much as it might hurt.

Hoisting her backpack over her shoulder and smoothing out her hair, she trudged into the kitchen unable to stifle a yawn. Immediately, before rational thought even registered, she reached out and snatched a cold pop tart, shoving half of it into her mouth. She never remembered being this completely ravenous before. It was sort of unsettling – characteristic Tai behavior. Plopping down next to her mother, who was essentially walled in behind her morning newspaper, she wondered at the absence of her brother. Usually he was comatose at this time in the morning, half-collapsed against the table in some strange combination of eating and sleeping at the same time. All that could be seen of him was a huge mop of brown hair. He was typically still in this state by when she left, as his school started relatively later than hers.

A thought struck her and she paused in terror, pop tart half hanging out of her mouth, "Mom?" she asked apprehensively, "What time is it?"

"8:17!" her mother replied cheerfully, sweeping the newspaper-wall from between them, gracing her daughter with a smile.

"What?" Kari all but screamed as she flew out of her chair, "School started at 7:30! Why didn't you wake me up? If the cat hadn't mauled my leg I would have slept till noon!"

Her mother countered by widening her smile and offering a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, "You were out late. I always hated it when I had a rough night and my mom wouldn't let me sleep an extra couple of minutes. Besides you looked so peaceful."

"Mom…" she whined, as she rushed to simultaneously collect her belongings and brush her teeth, "Stop being so cool."

"As soon as you stop being such a worry wart," her mother shot back, still all smiles as she took a long, languid sip of her coffee.

On her way out the door Kari stopped in front of her mother, unable to stop a smile in return, "It's a deal," she said, pecking her mother on the cheek, "You just better hold up your end of the bargain!"

Mrs. Kamiya laughed and shook her head, trying to figure out if she should be happy for her daughter or extremely worried. Kari slammed the door behind her, and a still hungry cat stared sadly at its empty bowl.

* * *

Kari bound down the steps, trying desperately not to drop anything she was holding. She shut her eyes and resisted glancing at her watch, knowing that what she saw would do nothing but disappoint and perhaps even mortify. Missing out on a few study sessions she could deal with – but this was crazy. Not only was she an hour late yesterday, but it looked like she was going to suffer the same fate today. All she could do was pray that no wary administrator decided to call her parents. She was lucky enough that it hadn't happened the day before. Sighing, she stopped at the door and made a decision with a heavy heart. TK was right, being around Davis got her carried away, and that was dangerous. She was just going to have to tell Davis that all further communications were to be limited to emergencies – or at least until finals were over. As much as she hated it, it was for the best. 

As she reached the bottom of the steps, panting and fighting off the beginnings of a stress headache, she could not stop a smile at the sight that greeted her. The innocence of Davis's sleeping face was always too endearing to ignore. Making her way over to the bench where he dozed, she allowed herself a few minutes of silent reverie, trying to memorize the scene as if she'd never see him again.

She clamped her eyes shut and shook her head as she felt her resolve slip soundlessly away. No. She had to do this. She had to.

"Davis," she called softly, shaking him by the shoulders. He groaned but didn't wake, so she shook him again for good measure.

" 'Kay mum, cut it out already. I'm up, I'm up," he slurred groggily, swatting at her hands. His eyes slipped open and he was almost scared at the sight that greeted him. There was Kari, bathed in a halo of bright morning light. "Am I dead?" he asked.

She plopped down next to him on the bench and stared ahead blankly, avoiding his gaze, "No," she answered, "You're just tired… but somehow I think you'll live."

He smiled and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, attempting to eradicate the last traces of drowsiness from the corners of his mind. A thought struck him and he checked both of his wrists repeatedly only to find that he wasn't wearing a watch, "I'm not _too_ late am I? When I left my place it was already pushing 7."

Propping her head up on her hands, she offered the asphalt at her feet a sad smile, "You waited for me," she whispered.

"Of course I did!" he replied with a toothy grin, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Why wouldn't I?"

For the first time since he woke up she turned to face him, eyes sad and wide, "Because if you'd just gone to school, you wouldn't have been late. You would be fine. I'd be fine."

His brows furrowed in confusion and he got the distinct feeling in his gut that he wasn't going to like how this conversation ended, "Kari, what are you trying to say?"

She sighed, "It's 8:35."

On the outside he stayed calm and confident and nonchalant but on the inside there was pure bedlam. He bit back a cringe thinking of the call his parents were probably going to get tonight – and more importantly their reaction to it. It seemed he was going to be grounded even if Jun didn't spill her guts, "So?" he replied, concern showing through his worry, "Kari, that doesn't matter to me, you know it doesn't. I do this for you, because you're my friend, and I care about you. It sounds stupid and cheesy, but it's the truth. Now are you ready to tell me what's really bothering you?"

"Davis," she started, voice strained and it was evident to him that it was hard for her to say it, "I think we need to take a break for a while."

Out of all of the things he expected her to say, _that_ was very low on the list, "Kari, I'm not sure I understand."

She sighed and swallowed, collecting her thoughts, "Your friendship means a lot to me, and hanging out with you is always fun. But there's more to life than just fun. We all have responsibilities."

"I… know that," he said quietly.

Guilt waved over her, knowing that she'd saddened him, "Davis, sometimes I wish I could be like you, and just take everything as it comes to me. I wish I could have the courage to live on impulse and just do what _I _want," she paused and stood, shouldering her bag, "But I just can't do it, Davis. I'm sorry."

He sat there for a long time after she left, wondering if it had all been a dream to begin with.

* * *

"Kari, are you ok?" she heard someone – TK – ask from behind her. 

Without turning to look at him, she shoved a few books into her locker and sighed. This had been one of the worst days of her life; there was no doubt in her mind. She was starting to question whether or not what she'd said to Davis that morning was a mistake. He'd finally arrived at school around third period, miserable and moping. She could tell he was trying to hide it though. He didn't want her to feel guilty, and that confused her more than anything.

"Yeah TK, I'm fine," she muttered back, hoisting her backpack onto her shoulder.

"You're lying," he accused half-playfully, although there was an underlying concern in his words.

"You're delusional," she shot back, pasting on a smirk.

"Whoa," he said, eyebrows raised, "shot to the heart."

"What can I say?" she asked jokingly, but on the inside, regret settled in deep around her lungs, weighted her heart, and made it hard to breathe.

"Let's go," he said with his patented charming, perfect, beautiful, begging-to-be-brought-home-to-mother smile, and looped a friendly arm around her shoulders.

She closed her eyes, sighed, and forgot to fight it when he threw her book-heavy pink bag over his shoulder.

"Say Kari," he began tentatively, when they'd been walking a while, "I don't think you should be alone right now. Why don't you come over? Mom hasn't seen you in forever; she's starting to complain, and we can get a jump-start on that studying. Or not. It's all the same to me."

Pulling away from him, she rubbed her balled up fists in her eyes and her tired mind tried to make sense of his words. Behind them, Yolei and Cody bumbled on, talking about – something. She strained her eyes to see, was Davis there too?

"Kari?" TK's voice was muted and muffled. It felt like her ears were stuffed with cotton.

Where _was_ Davis? Did he have soccer today? Detention? Was he in trouble for being late? Was he sick? Was he still at school? Was he avoiding her? Was he-?

"Kari…" once again, TK broke into the shell of her mind, interrupting her mid-thought, "You don't have to if you don't want."

He had asked her over, hadn't he? Hadn't he?

"No, I want to," she said quickly, straining to see if anyone – _Davis_ – was walking across the street, "I'm just – I've just… I've got a lot on my mind is all."

He nodded, and led her up the steps to his apartment. As he unlocked the door, she thought of how long it'd been since she'd since his mother. Once, they'd been such close friends. With a blush, she stumbled back into reality, just a little. In the doorway, she adjusted her pretty pink dress, smoothed her soft brown hair, and tucked it behind her cute little pink barrette. When TK wasn't looking, she pulled her stockings up from where they'd pooled comfortably at her ankles. God, she'd the textbook definition of a mess lately. …Why hadn't Davis said anything? Had he even noticed?

As Kari stepped through the threshold, she was greeted enthusiastically with hugs and kisses from Nancy. After a bit, she pulled away, and held Kari at arms' length, examining her closely.

Finally, Nancy broke into a smile, "You get cuter every time I see you!" she said, enthused, "Oh, how I've missed having you around. You've always been like a daughter to me."

"I'm sorry," Kari said with a slight bow, wishing her bangs were loose so she could hide her eyes, "It's all my fault."

"Don't apologize," Nancy said, giving her a playful pinch on the cheek, "It doesn't matter how long you've been away. You're still our Kari."

For the first time all day Kari felt loved. And she liked it.

In the cheap fluorescent light of the cramped little kitchen, her and Nancy had tea, and talked like old times. TK was invited too, of course, as a polite gesture, but he saw through their feigned pleadings and bumbled off to do something else, somewhere else.

"So," Nancy said after a while, breaking into the comfortable silence, "We've talked all about me and not even a word concerning yourself. Tell me how you've been."

Kari stared down into her tea like it held the secrets of the universe, and could hardly think of anything to say, "Well," she started amicably, "I've been all right. Nothing too exciting."

Yeah, nothing. Nothing besides, well, _everything_.

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard," Nancy said with a chuckle, leaning on her elbows.

Kari giggled, and straightened her hair. God, she hated that barrette, "I'm not quite sure how to explain," she began tentatively, tapping her fingers against the porcelain cup, "I've been spending a lot of time with a certain friend lately. It's been really fun," she could help but smile… brilliantly, "more fun than I think I've ever had in my entire life. It's almost addicting, you know?" her face fell, "but at the same time distracting, so very distracting. This morning, I realized I hadn't gotten any studying done for finals, and that I'd been late to school and inattentive. I made a choice. I told him that I couldn't do it anymore."

By this point it could be plainly seen that Kari was about to burst into tears. For the billionth time she wished her bangs were in her face. Why did she even wear that stupid barrette anyway? Because it was pretty? Because it was neat and tidy?

She sniffled fiercely and stared daggers at her hands, tightly clasped around the cup, as if they had caused her melancholy and weakness. Distantly, she felt Nancy's soothing fingers on her shoulder.

"Kari," she started, voice shaky. Her eyes were bright and shining with tears of empathy, and somehow, Kari perceived that Nancy knew every bit of the story, spoken and unspoken, "Is this what you want?" she asked, and Kari's head spun thinking of all the hidden layers to the question.

"No," she answered truthfully, "Not at all."

"What _do _you want?"

_Davis_, her mind thought automatically, "To pass finals," is what her mouth said.

Nancy's brow creased with disapproval, and she leaned back in her chair, "Do finals make you feel like he makes you feel?"

"No!" Kari admitted, heart bare and weak and vulnerable and _breaking_, "Nothing makes me feel the way he makes me feel, and it… it scares me."

Nancy smiled with pride, and put her arms around Kari's shoulders, "You have to make a choice," she whispered slowly, "Are you going to be scared and miserable, or are you going to be strong and do what _you_ want?"

Kari pulled away slowly, and found herself drowning in Nancy's warm and inviting eyes, "I don't know," she said finally, with a morose chuckle, "I don't _even know_."

TK chose this moment to come strolling back into the kitchen, nonchalant and still damp and smelling delightful from the shower. As he ducked into the fridge, Kari wiped frantically at her puffy eyes, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

"What do you say, Kari?" he said, popping open a soda he'd retrieved, "Want to get started on that studying?"

"Okay," she consented, with a cheerful little smile. She hopped off the stool like a child, brought her cup to the sink, and thanked Nancy for the tea.

As TK disappeared once again into the living room, Nancy caught Kari by the wrist for one last whispered comment, "You know, you'll always be a daughter to me, even if you're not my daughter-in-law."

Kari gaped at her like a trout, but Nancy just snickered and vanished into the hallway.

* * *

"…What is the atomic weight of Cobalt?" he asked, brows furrowed cutely in thought, as he read out of the Chemistry book. 

"Uh… 3?" she answered, brain so frazzled she was considering conjuring the nonexistent gods of Chemistry.

"…Or 58.9332," he corrected.

"That was my next guess," she said, flopping over onto her back, attempting to make snow angels on the rug. Or wouldn't they be rug angels?

He sighed and tossed the book aside, and she swore for a second she heard the coffee table audibly crack a bit where it landed.

"Why don't we try something else? How about Algebra? Try factoring this trinomial: 25x² – 120x + 144."

She found herself wondering if polynomials had feelings too, and if it was possible to ignore one until it felt offended and went away.

He quite accurately took her silence as a resounding, "I've no idea" and began to explain, "You see Kari, it's actually simple when you get down to it. A trinomial is when the first and last terms are squared. The square root of 25 is 5 and the square root of 144 is 12. Now, because of the formula (a – b)² is equal to(a² – 2ab + b²), we know the answer is (5x – 12)². It checks."

No, polynomials had no feelings at all. None. They were cold, merciless, horrible creatures.

"I have an idea!" she said, "Let's do something fun."

"Like what?" he asked warily, searching for his calculator.

"Like anything," she said playfully, inching over to him, and sliding the Algebra book off of his lap, "except for this."

"Well," he pondered, "then there's always history. I really need to brush up on the Tokugawa shogunate–"

"Not… that."

"Well then what?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Let's take a break," she suggested, secretly hiding his vocabulary book under the couch while he wasn't looking.

"Okay," he said, seeming to catch her drift, "We'll talk. How was your day?"

She instantly thought of that morning, and the memory sent little stinging pinpricks all over her heart, "Amazing," she eventually lied.

"Oh really?" he asked with a yawn, "What made it so… amazing?"

"Well," she started, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, "I flew to Madagascar fourth period, and defeated a stampede of starving monkeys armed only with a paperclip, a half-roasted marshmallow, and my sanity. When I returned I was awarded the Medal of Honor by the prime minister of Canada, and got to fly back to school on his private jet. All in all, I think it was a pretty productive day."

Two feet away, TK stared at her in something akin to horror, "That's weird, because all I did today was take a math test."

Kari smiled, brilliantly, and tackled him to the floor, "Thanks," she said, happiness shining in her eyes "Thank you so much."

Finally, she got up, and almost tripped over the line between _him _and _her_, the one that neither of them would ever find a way to cross, no matter how much time they spent trying.

Frantically, she dug around for her stuff, and he lay on the floor half-shocked and half-bewildered. As she struggled with her shoes, he pulled himself to his feet.

"Kari?" he asked, buried in her state of frenzy, "where are you going?"

"Somewhere I should have gone a long time ago," she answered cryptically, smile widening with every second.

He barely caught her as she threw open the door, "Kari! What's gotten into you?" he pleaded.

For the first time since she'd jumped on him, she stopped. Her eyes were wide and sad and _apologetic_. She laid a palm against his cheek, "Thank you, TK. You've helped me find something I never would have found on my own."

As she turned and ran, he didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"TK," she whispered into the unhearing darkness, "This is a me you'll never know."

"...This is a me you never _can_ know."

* * *

To be continued. 


	5. Chapter 5

**( A u t h o r's N o t e ) **Sorry it's been a while. But it was only a two month wait this time! In other news, I love _BFG_ because she sent me an awesome song that totally fits with the story, and was encouraging when I didn't feel like writing anymore. Also, much love to _Kirate_ and all of my reviewers.

In other news, this fic seems to be accumulating its own soundtrack. I have a whole list of songs that fit the story so well. You can find them all at a post in my livejournal. The link to my livejournal is in my userinfo.

Anyway, this chapter is depressing, shorter than usual, and probably sucky. Deal. And feel free to email me. I like emails.

* * *

"_Change if you want,  
__But don't you go and change for me,  
__I can love you as you are,  
__I didn't mean to make you want to leave._

_In the fight between my heart and mind,  
__No one really wins this time._

_No one really wins this time."  
_- Copeland (No one really wins)

* * *

After three hours at the library, Davis came to a conclusion. 

Studying was _hard_.

And _boring_.

What exactly did Kari see in it anyways?

Sighing, he rubbed at his eyes and slammed the book shut with positively no reservations at all.

He yawned and half-consciously collected his things, shoving them haphazardly into his bag, pulling the zipper closed quickly.

Trying to restrain the thrill of finally being able to leave, he stalked gloomily past the old librarian and out the door. Around the corner, he breathed a sigh of relief, and skipped the rest of the way down the street.

However, when his temporary library-escaping euphoria wore off a moment later, it was replaced with melancholy brimming on the edge of his consciousness, overshadowing any contentment, and stirring up a frustrating restlessness.

_I want to see her_, he thought.

But he couldn't possibly show up at her house after what she'd said this morning. Couldn't possibly. There was no conceivable way.

Except that he could. As he turned, and started walking towards her apartment, he found the laws of physics weren't exactly disallowing it. Yes, he was most certainly moving, one foot in front of the other, right, left, right, left.

It was late anyway; she couldn't possibly still be studying. Okay, well, she could be. But really, everyone needed a break once in a while.

As he ambled on, he couldn't help but feel more and more divided over his decision. On one hand, he'd get to see her. But on the other hand, he was totally betraying her wishes and trust and their friendship as a whole.

…But he was going to _see her_.

The combined effect of his conscience and common sense and collective obtained knowledge mixed with his irrational want made for an uneasy, ecstatic nervousness. When he reached the door, it was already dark, inky black seeping down over the sky, blanketing the dying light.

He stopped at the door, feeling edgy. He knew she wouldn't get mad, but this was the only responsible, adult-like thing she'd ever asked him to do. It was like she was acknowledging that he wasn't just the court jester. She was the only one that had any faith in him and his hidden maturity. He really didn't want to lose that by acting stupid.

…

But he _still _wanted to see her.

Hesitantly, pushing his reservations out of his mind, he rang the doorbell and waited. A second later, Mrs. Kamiya appeared at the doorway, smiling.

"Come in," she said warmly, wandering somewhat aimlessly into the kitchen, leaving him alone, "You're name's Davis, right?" she called, and he could hear banging of pots and pans, "Are you here to see Tai? He's in his room."

From somewhere in the hall, Davis could hear long, high-pitched wails, "Actually," he said, scratching the back of his head, and grinning awkwardly, "Is Kari home?"

Slowly, dramatically, an orange cat sauntered into the living room, and collapsed into its empty food dish, mewling miserably.

"No, sorry, she's not here" Mrs. Kamiya said, popping back into view, drying a dish with a towel, "She's studying with that adorable TK. He just called to let me know she was there. I'm not really the kind of mom that worries easily, but I was getting concerned with her running around all the time. But TK's such a good influence on her, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Davis agreed despondently, heart splintering into tiny, irretrievable pieces, watching the cat wallow pathetically, and desperately wanting to change the subject, "When was the last time this cat got fed?" he asked.

"Oh!" Mrs. Kamiya said, "I've no idea! I think Kari was in a rush this morning and forgot to feed her!"

_You haven't heard her whining all day?_ Davis thought.

He waited, incredulous, as Mrs. Kamiya totally ignored the half-starved cat, and returned to her chores. Grudgingly, he retrieved the bowl, and strolled into the kitchen, feeling oddly at home. He moved to the counter where the food and can opener still lay, abandoned. The cat watched with hungry eyes as he divested the can of its top, and poured the contents into the dish. He smiled at the animal, and gave her the much-anticipated food.

Mrs. Kamiya watched appreciatively, with warm eyes. Apparently there was more to this ruffian than she thought. The cat finished, and lavished its affections on Davis's legs, purring like a diesel truck. He laughed, petting the happy little animal, and Mrs. Kamiya saw in that moment what was beautiful about Davis.

"Miko never liked TK," she said, eyes shining with badly veiled mischief and admiration.

Davis looked up from where he crouched on the floor, half-startled, and processed the words, "Miko, is it?" he said. He glanced at the cat and smiled, "That's a pretty name."

She meowed cheerfully in response.

"I'll tell Kari you stopped by," Mrs. Kamiya said, hiding her smile.

"Okay," he replied, pulling himself up away from the floor, "Thanks."

"No problem," she said cheerfully, watching him leave, the weight of melancholy settling back onto his shoulders.

_You're a good kid, Davis_, she thought, _and you've got such a big heart_.

* * *

Kari ran – ran like a madman. She ran like she'd never run before. Somehow, it seemed like there was so much at stake. 

There was a feeling, anchored deep in her chest, so vital yet so ephemeral, like if she didn't grab it now, it'd slip away. Every second, Kari could feel it escaping her, and that _hurt_.

Finally she reached Davis's door, a sweaty, disheveled mess. But she didn't care, because she knew Davis wouldn't care. No one who really mattered would care.

Calming herself, she rang the doorbell, and drew back quickly, fidgeting with anticipation. A minute later, Jun appeared at the door, hair strewn every which way, and a pair of chopsticks hanging languidly from her fingers.

"Hey," she greeted casually, "… You're Davis's little gal pal, aren't you?"

"Uh," Kari replied uncomfortably, "I'm his friend, if that's what you mean."

Randomly, Jun about-faced, and strolled into her living room, picking up a half-eaten cup of instant noodles, and digging into it enthusiastically.

Kari took this as a sign for her to follow, and meandered somewhat nervously into the apartment, taking a seat near Jun. She sighed, and smoothed her hair, still breathing heavily from her run. As she surveyed her surroundings, and fully processed the image of Jun devouring ramen in her pajamas, Kari began to doubt if coming was a good idea or not. More than anything though, she just wanted to see Davis, even if it was only for little while. Hopefully he didn't hate her for what she'd said that morning.

"So," Jun said, finishing her soup with a satisfied grin, "If you're here to see Davis, he's not in."

Kari paled. Why hadn't she said that in the first place?

"He's been at the library all afternoon – _studying_ – or something," her face contorted with disbelief, "Like I believe that one. He could have at least come up with a better excuse."

Studying? Kari started, and held back a gasp. So that's where he'd been this afternoon instead of walking home with everyone. A horrible feeling of guilt festered in her chest, rising up into her throat. With every inch of her being, Kari wanted to break out into tears. Why did he always have to be so selfless?

"Do you know when he'll be home?" Kari asked weakly, trying as best as she could to cover up her sadness.

"Nah," Jun said, and belched loudly, "He didn't tell me when he called."

"Okay," Kari replied, standing to leave, uncomfortable with feeling so wretched with a near stranger, "Could you just let him know I stopped by?"

"Sure!" Jun said with a very un-assuring smile.

Kari sighed, and retraced her steps to the door.

* * *

Time doesn't make anything better. At least, time spent alone doesn't. In solitude, people make their own company, dragging out painful memories, replaying them over and over. 

In the darkness of the cool night, Kari watched herself build up bridges and burn them all down again. The empty street was so quiet, her footsteps echoed in the air. And that made sense, because the ghosts of regret pursuing her were dead silent.

Another thing about ghosts was that you couldn't check them at the door.

Tears, either.

"What's wrong?" Kari heard Mrs. Kamiya ask from above her. As soon as she'd let the door slip shut, she'd collapsed.

"Did TK do something?" Mrs. Kamiya continued. It was useless though; her words were so unreal, little ripples on the edges of Kari's near tangible misery. Her world was in a haze; she couldn't see around the ache in her heart. She sobbed on the floor, raking her nails over the hardwood, and felt like vomiting up the grief caught in her throat until it was raw and red and empty and she could _breathe_ again.

_No_, _TK didn't do anything, _she thought,_ except all the right things._

_And I'm going to break his heart too._

"I'm going to bed," she said weakly, almost choking on her own voice.

Mrs. Kamiya opened her mouth, and tried to form a protest. Before she could, her eyes met the drained, but determined eyes of her daughter. Kari wiped at her tear-stained cheeks defiantly, and smiled a broken smile.

_This is the part where I'm strong_.

With everything she had left, Kari picked herself up, dragging her heavy heart behind her. Sleep was the only way to forget, if only for a little while.

Maybe she would hurt less in the morning.

Maybe not.

* * *

It didn't hurt any less in the morning. 

"Worse before it gets better," she kept repeating to herself, "worse before better."

At least she'd managed to wake up on time, she realized with a bitter smile, stepping unenthusiastically into the shower. The solitude of the enclosed space, and the steam swallowing breathable air just made her feel worse. She cried quietly with her cheek resting against the cool tile wall, and scrubbed skin until it was pink.

Feeling as tired and worn as she was the night before, Kari snuck past her mother and out the door, mechanically slipping the barrette into her hair, scooping it up away from her eyes.

Stopping at a window near the end of the hall, she stared out of it, sinking into the wide blue sky, and wondered what the day would bring.

* * *

_It's funny how things can change so quickly._

When Davis had gotten home the night before, he'd felt empty and defeated. Jun hadn't been much help either; she'd immediately gotten on his case, and started asking where he'd been, who he'd been with, why it'd taken him so long to get home.

He'd sighed, trying to block her out as she fretted and shoved things into his head like that he was breaking the rules, and he really shouldn't keep doing that, and why couldn't he be more responsible like normal people and, boy, was he lucky that she needed a favor from him the next day, because otherwise all bets were off.

And just when he'd felt he was about the break, she'd stopped and smirked and let out that sentence.

( "_You know that Kari girl stopped by to see you while you were out_." )

More words came after that, but he hadn't heard them. He'd smiled, and felt the air rush into his lungs like he'd relearned how to breathe.

Now he sat in the sun and let the crisp morning air fill his lungs. Tilting his head back, his eyes scanned the sky, and for the first time in a long time, he felt a little thing called _hope_.

* * *

She walked down the stairs slowly with tired limbs and a guilt-weighted heart. 

_Why do I feel this way?_

Grasping the railing tightly, she leaned against the wall and coughed into her free hand.

_And finals are still next week_, she thought despairingly.

Forcing the pained grimace off of her face, she inched down the steps and tried to focus on just breathing.

Finally she reached the bottom of the stairs, and stepped into the blinding sunlight.

Sitting there reading a textbook, was Davis.

And her heart stopped.

He stood and smiled, eyes sparkling in the morning light.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," she forced back, feeling weak. She had a thousand things she needed to say, and for him to hear. She wanted to apologize and take back all the awful things she'd said, and then apologize some more. All of it flowed through her, and she felt overwhelmed. There'd never be words enough to say everything and say it right, so that he would _know_.

With a slight start, he hid the book behind his back, but didn't avert his gaze, "This isn't, uh, what it looks like," he stammered, blushing, "I wasn't, um, studying or anything."

She smiled, and felt herself laugh. Inside, the guilt crumbled and fell, and her heart was _free_ again.

_I'd almost forgotten how this felt_.

In that moment, Kari rediscovered what was beautiful about Davis.

She dropped her things at her feet, and scampered over to him, throwing her arms around his middle.

"Uh…" he replied automatically in surprise. Looking down at her brown head, he smiled; folding his arms around her, and felt her tremble against him in some crazy mixture of crying and laughing.

He was so warm and welcoming, just as she'd remembered him to be. Her words melted away; there was nothing she needed to say. She'd said it all.

"Davis," she said, grinning up at him like a madman, "Let's not go to school today."

_It's funny how things can change so quickly._

_

* * *

_

To be continued.


End file.
